


Homework Ethics

by paranoidangel



Category: Sarah Jane Adventures
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-09
Updated: 2012-12-09
Packaged: 2017-11-20 17:35:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/587968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paranoidangel/pseuds/paranoidangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clyde teaches Luke about homework, bullies and being popular.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Homework Ethics

**Author's Note:**

  * For [philote_auctor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/philote_auctor/gifts).



> Betaed by hhertzof.

"Hey, Luke, what're you doing?" With no alien adventures in the offing this evening Clyde was lost for things to do. Luke didn't seem to be bothered by the quiet, so Clyde bothered him.

"Homework." Luke only glanced at him before going back to it.

Clyde could see Luke was doing homework and had just missed the obvious answer. Clyde was intending to point it out to him when he noticed there was more than one exercise book on the table. The closed one had Luke's name on the front, so Clyde pulled the other from beneath Luke's hand and turned it over to read the cover. "Charlie Mitchell," he read, ignoring Luke's annoyed shout and attempts to take the book off him. "You're doing Charlie Mitchell's homework?"

Luke shrugged. "He asked me to."

"And you said yes?" he asked disbelievingly, releasing his grip on the book.

"No," Luke said slowly. "I thought it was wrong, but he said it would help him pass maths and it was my duty to help because I'm so smart."

Clyde winced. He could just imagine what tone of voice that had been said in.

"I don't really understand how it helps," Luke admitted, "but I want to be popular. You said it's important to be popular." Although his frown suggested he didn't know why.

Clyde sighed and sat beside Luke. "You don't have to worry about being popular, you save aliens. That's cooler than anything the cool kids do." Luke smiled, and Clyde continued, "You're just going to get into trouble for doing other people's homework."

"I think he wanted me to get into trouble." From Luke's tone it sounded like he was just now working that out.

"Just tell him you're not going to do it any more, okay?"

Luke nodded and pushed the book away from him. "Okay."

Clyde thought that would be it, but he was wrong.

~*~

"So how did it go?" Clyde asked, as Luke joined him for French - one subject Luke struggled at. All that knowledge in his head and yet no French.

"All right."

"Really?" Clyde looked sceptical. He hadn't been at the school long but he'd already worked out what sort of boy Charlie Mitchell was and he wasn't one who took no for an answer.

"Really," Luke replied.

Clyde was desperate to ask for more details, but then Mrs Fargo arrived and they became mute for the rest of the lesson.

~*~

Clyde found out first hand what Charlie really thought after football. He'd stopped by the school gates to examine his ankle and see how well the bruise was getting on. He'd been kicked hard, but Danny Marks swore he'd been aiming for the ball and missed. Clyde had his own ideas about that, but there wasn't a lot he could have done with Mr Donovan watching.

The next thing Clyde knew he was pushed against the gate, the metal cold against his cheek and the hands on his back and arm keeping him from falling over.

"You told Luke not to do my homework, didn't you?"

Charlie Mitchell. Clyde sighed - he might have known. "Yeah, I did." It was no use being afraid, it wouldn't do him any good. "So what? You can beat me up as much as you like, I won't change my mind." Although he wasn't so sure he'd like being beaten up. The trouble with being small was that it wouldn't take someone as big as Charlie much effort, but this was for Luke and so he stood his ground. Luke wouldn't know what to do if someone hit him.

"No, I ain't gonna do that."

He let go and Clyde stumbled before he righted himself and looked up at Charlie. He looked happy, which worried Clyde.

"Because you'd rather he did your homework?"

Clyde laughed. "I do my own homework." He wasn't that stupid.

"That's not what Mrs Douglas thinks." Charlie shrugged and walked off.

It took a moment for Clyde to work out what had happened, but it explained why Mrs Douglas wanted to see him before assembly the next morning. He considered shouting after Charlie, but it wouldn't make any difference and he couldn't think of any good comebacks yet.

Neither could he go and tell Luke about this - Luke would be upset that Charlie had taken it out on Clyde. It was best to let him think everything was all right, but Clyde had to talk to someone and not a grown up either. Which left Maria. Since she lived opposite Luke, Clyde sneaked around the back.

~*~

"Clyde, what are you doing in the garden?"

Clyde sheepishly removed the twig that had ended up on his head and brushed the leaves off his jacket. "I didn't want Luke to know I was here."

Maria frowned, but let him in. In the safety of her bedroom, he explained his dilemma. "You could always get Luke to tell Mrs Douglas what happened," she suggested.

Clyde gave her a look.

Maria was undeterred. "She must know what Charlie's like and your work isn't anything like Luke's. She can't possibly think Luke did it for you. You can't let him go around bullying you."

Clyde knew what you were supposed to do about bullies, he'd never been bullied himself before. "Yeah," he said, without enthusiasm. "But you heard what Mrs Douglas said this morning, when she handed our homework back. I reckon Charlie heard it too." And no doubt guessed Luke had helped him with it.

Maria gave him a sympathetic smile. "You've got to tell Mrs Douglas something. Even if it's the truth."

"Yeah," he repeated.

She sighed. "You never know, aliens might blow up the school tonight."

He brightened at that idea. "Let's go over to Sarah Jane's," he suggested. "If there's anything threatening the school Mr Smith will know." Cheered, he went over the road with Maria.

~*~

The school was still in one piece in the morning. Clyde tried to pretend he wasn't worried about his talk with Mrs Douglas, but given the suspicious looks Luke was giving him, he wasn't very successful. Luke had no reason to be worried himself because Clyde had told him there wasn't anything to worry about. Maria didn't look worried either, but she came with them and waited outside the classroom for moral support and eavesdropping.

"I think I've made a social mistake," Luke said, before Mrs Douglas could begin.

Mrs Douglas blinked. "Go on."

"Clyde didn't understand Monday's lesson, but he didn't want to appear stupid, so he asked me for help," he said earnestly.

Clyde closed his eyes for a moment and wished a hole would appear in the floor and swallow him up.

"I thought it was helping, I didn't know it was cheating."

Mrs Douglas smiled at Luke. At least with him being so good at lessons the teachers tended to cut him a bit of slack. "There is a fine line between helping and cheating," she said. "I trust Clyde knows what it is," she added more seriously, transferring her gaze to Clyde.

"Yes, Mrs Douglas," he replied in the same serious tone.

She perched on the edge of the desk. "In this instance I'd say you haven't crossed that line. Yet. Do you know why Charlie Mitchell thought you had?"

"No, Mrs Douglas," Clyde replied quickly and managed to catch Luke's eye before he told her the truth. They'd gone over the 'lying was necessary' lesson at the weekend, but Luke still wasn't sure when to apply it.

She didn't look at all convinced at his answer, but she left it at that. "Off you go, or you'll be late for assembly."

They got out while they could. Once they were outside Luke asked, "Why didn't you tell her the truth about Charlie?"

"It'll just make him worse, if he knows we told on him." Clyde had no faith in the teachers to do anything about it. "But if he sees we haven't been punished, then he'll know it's not worth bullying us."

"I hope it works," Maria said.

Clyde shrugged. "He's only a boy, We've faced worse."

Luke smiled. "If we can beat Slitheen we can beat Charlie Mitchell."

"That's the spirit."

As they laughed they passed Charlie, who was also on his way to assembly, surrounded by his gang. Since there were teachers further down the corridor he couldn't say anything, but he gave them a surprised look and a wide berth, which just made them laugh harder. Clyde knew they were right: Charlie Mitchell was nothing to worry about.


End file.
